Snap acting dual valve mechanism



E. HUPP SNAP ACTING DUAL VALVE MECHANISM Jan. 6, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 15, 1955 if .VIZV/m. rl lll/ll.

INVENTOR. EDWARD E. HUPP BY ATTORNEY Jan. 6, 1959 E E. HUPP 2,867,235

y vSNAP ACTING DUAL VALVE MECHANISM Filed March 15, 1955 2 sheets-s115952 Fifa 5 INVEN TOR. EDWARD E. HUPP ATTOENE' Y United States Patent SNAP ACTING DUAL VALVE lVlECHANISM Edward E. Hupp, South Bend, Ind., assiguor to Bendix Aviation Corporation, South Bend, Ind., a corporation of Delaware Application March 15, 1955, Serial No. 494,435

1 Claim. (Cl. 137-622) This invention relates generally to fluid pressure actuators for change speed mechanisms and more particularly to actuators including a fluid motor for selectively actuating the shifting mechanism of multi-speed drive axles of automotive vehicles.

My invention is particularly directed to a valve mechanism adapted to control the motor of the above identifield actuator and to this end it is an object of my invention to provide a simple, compact, and easily serviced double three way valve for controlling a double acting fluid pressure motor.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a double three way valve for controlling a uid pressure motor the opening and closing operations of the valve being effected by spring means serving to quickly and positively actuate the movable part or parts of the valve.

A further object is to provide a manually and power operated over center spring operating mechanism for opening and closing a valve suitable for controlling a double acting fluid pressure operated motor.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a snap action mechanism of relatively few parts for effecting a rocking movement of a lever such as a valve operating lever; and said mechanism is particularly characterized by the employment of a plurality of tension springs operative to move the lever when the springs are moved past their dead center;` position with respect to a certain fulcrum.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein one embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the chassis of an automotive vehicle with parts removed for simplicity and showing a power plant embodying the valve mechanism constituting my invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the valve mechanism of my invention said view disclosing the mechanism in detail;

Figures 3 and 4 are side elevational views of the valve mechanism of my invention; and

Figure 5 is another sectional view of the valve mechanism of my invention disclosing the lever operating springs of the mechanism.

Referring to the drawings disclosing a preferred embodiment of my invention I have shown at generally the chassis of an automotive vehicle the internal combustion engine of the vehicle being indicated by the reference numeral 12. Communicating with the intake manifold 14 of the engine is a vacuum conduit 16 extending to a double three way valve mechanism 18 constituting my invention. This mechanism 18, which is hereinafter defined as a valve unit, serves to control the operation of a double acting pressure differential operated motor 20 the power element 23 of which is operably connected, by a rod 21, to a crank 22. This crank constiltutes a part of a two speed axle mechanism 24 which ice mechanism, by the actuation of the crank, is established in either a high speed drive condition or a low speed drive condition.

The motor 20, no claim to which is made in this application, preferably consists of a double ended casing which houses the power element 23 said element serving, together with the casing, to provide two control compartments 27 and 29. The compartment 29 is connected, by a conduit 26, with a control compartment 28, Figure 2, of the valve 'unit 18; and the control compartment 27 of the motor is connected, by a conduit 30, with a control compartment 32 of the valve unit. When the motor 20 is energized its power element 23 moves in one direction or the other thereby effecting an angular movement of the crank 22 to operate the two speed aXle. As will be described in greater detail hereinafter the energization of the motor 20 is eiected by partially evacuating one or the other of the compartments 27 and 29 the remaining compartment being at the time vented to the atmosphere.

Describing now the details of my invention, that is the valve unit 18, this unit includes a three part casing 34 which may be mounted, by any suitable means on the` end of a conduit 50, Figure 2, connected to a speedometer controlling fluid pressure motor, not shown. As is disclosed in Figure 2 the three part valve casing 34 is bored to provide the aforementioned compartments 28 and 32.-

Describing now the essence of the valve mechanism of my invention, valve members 52 and 54, housed within the compartments 28 and 32, respectively, are connected by pins 56 and 58, respectively, to a valve operating lever 60. Centrally located hub portions 62 of this lever, Figures 2 and 5, are journaled on a pin 64 mounted at its ends in the upper ends ofspaced apart posts 66 secured at their bases to a portion of the valve casing; accordingly the lever 60, acting as a lever of the first class, is fulcrumed upon the pin 64. The lever 60 is provided at one end thereof with a cross arm'68, Figure 5, preferably integrally connected Vto the lever body; and to the ends of this arm are connected ends of preloaded tension springs \70 and 72. The other ends of the springs are connected toa pin 74, Figures 2 and 5, which extends through guide straps 76 and 78 which are pivotally mounted, at one of their'ends, upon the pin 64. A block member Si? substantially centrally bored to receive a reciprocable flexible wire cable 82, is pivotally mounted on the pin 74 and is positioned between the straps 76 and 78.

The lower end of the cable 82 is adjustably secured to the block by a set screw 84 and said cable extends through a boss portion 86 of the upper section of the three part casing. This cable, which serves to actuate the valve mechanism, is preferably terminated at its other end in an end member, i. e. the knob 17 fashioned to be grasped by the fingers of the hand of the driver.

Describing now the operation of the mechanism of my invention and incidentally completing the description of parts thereof not heretofore described, air operation of the knob 17 serves to rotate the straps 76 and 78 in a ycounterclockwise direction, Figure 2, and this operation also serves to move the tension springs 70 and 72 past their dead .center position with respect to the fulcrum of the lever 60; and this operation serves, by a snap action, to effect a clockwise rotation of the lever 60 about the pin 64. The latter operation serves to very quickly move the pin 56 upwardly to the position disclosed in Figure 2 the valve member 52 in this operation being partment 94 ventedto'theatmosphere lVia a.por.t96.and.

anz'air cleaner, net shown. litliislsn'ap action..operatin of'seating the valve member 52 by moving `the :pin S6 upwardly the cross arm portion 68.0f .the .lever.60.,contacts a -Q shaped stop member 98,.Figurejgsecuredto thetop of the pin 56; and Vin this'operation a Valve ,return spring is compressed.

Completlng the valve mechanism, that the operation resulting'from lifting the knob 17 upwardly, itis to benoted from an inspection of 'Figure Z'that the clockwise rotation, ofthe lever 60.serves to permit a spring ,102 toexpand to seat'the valve member 54 upon a seat 104y thereby-ventingthe compartment 32 to the atmosphere and cuttingroiV its communication with the source of vacuum, 'that is the intake manifold. It follows therefore .that this Aoperation of the control valve 18'serves to connect the compartment 29l of the vacuum motor 20 tothe source of vacuumand at the same time Vent the compartment 27 ofsaid motor to .the'atm'osph'ereg and this operation results in an energization of said motor to effect say thelow gear setting of lthe two speed axle mechanism 24. It is to be remembered that in order to make use of the intakemanifold as` a source of 'vacuum it is necessary for. the driver to release the accelerator of the vehicle, howeverthis operadescription of this operation of the.

tion is usually effected prior to the operation of shifting the gears of the transmission.

To establish the two speedaxle 24 kinits high .gear setting the driver, will, either before or after releasing the accelerator to reverse the engine torque and .to provide a source of vacuum, again actuate the knob.17 thereby rotating the straps 76 andv 78 in. aV clockwise direction, Figure 2; and this operation, as` will lheapparent from an inspection of Figures 2 and 5 and from the abovedescription of the operation of. the lever.60, will result in an upward movement of the pin SSand a compression of the spring 102'. In this operationone end of the lever 60 contacts arc-shaped stop 108', Figure 5, securedto the top of the pin 5S, and the valve 54 will, by .this operation, contact a seat 106 thereby cuttingoA the communication be-V tween the compartment 32,'andtheatmosphere and connecting said compartment with the source .of vacuum; and this operationwill also result in a seating*V of the-valve 52 upon a seat 110 toy vent the4 compartment 29 of the motor 20 to the atmosphere. Themotor 20 is, lby .this operation of the valve 18, energized tof-establish the transmission in its high gear setting.

There is thus provided avery simple, compact* and, effective double three way valve mechanism adapted to control a double acting uid pressure motor such for example as the motor'emplyed 'to actuate a two speed axle mechanism of an automotive vehicle. The trigger like over center operation of the springs and 72 serve to quickly and positively operate the valve members 52 and 54 to etect an operation of the motor 20. It is also to be noted that the-mechanism for eifecting the rotationvof the -valve operating'lever 60,vthat' is the straps 76 and 78, pin 74, cable 82, and springs 70 and'72, may also beemployed to actuatev alever-of any mechanism where a quickv and positive-operation of said-'lever is required.

The above and ,other objects andffeatures ofthe invention will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings where one embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example.

I claim:

A valve mechanism includinga casing shaped to provide two control compartments, a vacuum compartment, and an air vent compartment; avalve member wwithin the casing movable to one position to interconnect thevacuum compartment with oneofethecontrol .compartments and to another positionto interconnect the latter compartment withthe air vent compartment; anothel-valve member with .the casing movableto. one `position tofinterconnect the vacuum compartment` withtheothenof said control compartments and to another position. to interconnect the".

latter compartment with Atheair vent compartment; and means for simultaneously actuatingpsaid valveV members to connect one of saiclcompartmentsto. the vacuum.com

partment and at the Sametime .vent the .other of said ,com-p partments to the atmosphere, said meansincluding a `longitudinally disposedvlever p ivotally,mountedA on `a wall in one of said casing compartments, lost motion connection means at eachend of the lever. for operating its connected valve, an actuatormemberforthe leverv located adjacent to and spaced from one endofsaidlever. andradapted to move across the pivotalfaxis thereof,lguide connection links pivotally connecting. the lever.. pivot `and-the actuator, and preloaded. spring means connecting.l the distal end of saidy .lever .andthe actuator, wherebyk movement of the actuator causes the .spring to. move across-the lever pivotand rotate the Vleverto. effect asnap action of said lever to alternately actuate the respective valves loosely connected` thereto.

ReerencesCite'd in' the of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS` 2,243,937

2,366,127 Rappl Dec. 26,- 1944 Almond-' Iu'nef3, 1941 Y 

